Untitled
by Noah Gabriel
Summary: Every good story starts as nothing more than an untitled piece. Well, I don't know about good, but it's a story nonetheless. Features none of the Elgang, but will feature the NPCs. Made for the folks at the official Elsword forums. A war is brewing with demons, yes we're going to ride that beaten plot again, and only one person can stop it. Except they're on vacation so we doomed.
1. Chapter 1 - Another Beautiful Tragedy

**Author's Note: This is made for the Elsword forums people. No Elgang at all. Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Another Beautiful Tragedy<strong>

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><p><strong>Velder, Commercial Area 1, Year 627<strong>

Cries filled the air, but not that from human mouths. Demons littered the broken streets, crying in agony as blue flames licked at their flesh. Demons still standing fresh backed away from their fallen comrades as they all stared ahead at the figure that attracted their attention. The figure, a hooded human, silently stepped towards the dark invaders. The human took a hand out of their pocket to adjust the small stick between their teeth.

"Oh shut up," the human spoke. The demons felt a cold shiver run down their bodies as the human smashed their foot into the screaming snout of a fallen demon. The blue flames that ate at their body burned faster until not even the demonic skeleton remained. A satisfying crunch echoed throughout the quiet, followed by chewing noises as the human munched on their lollipop.

With one last look at where their fallen comrade had been, the demons mustered up their courage and lunged at the human. The human didn't even seem to bat an eye as they flicked their finger at the demons. Blue flames sprouted from thin air, scorching the attacking demons and once again filling the air with screams.

"What a nice sound," the human said rather cheerfully to the flame they held near their ear. The melting flesh of the demons became a noxious gas that wafted upwards like a smoke signal as more demons showed up seconds later. One of the demons cackled happily with bright red flames at its fingertips. The human eyed the red flame demon and smiled almost childishly. With a clap of their hands, several balls of blue flames erupted in the air around her. "Silly demons! I'm the only arsonist allowed here!"

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><p>Imperial year 627: The demonic invasion in Velder was halted by the combined help of several guilds and the Velder Militia. From that invasion only fourteen citizens were killed, including soldiers. Eighty-five percent of the once grand city was reduced to nothing but wreckage and ashes. The cause of such destruction was later traced back to a single arsonist.<p>

Despite none of the victims coming from this arsonist's actions, the Velder Royalty have decreed that they shall be locked up in Elder. Among the whispers and rumors of the Velder refugees, a name was given to the arsonist out of fear of the arsonist's strange blue flames. The arsonist's flames were said to burn like flames but were cold as ice. As such, the arsonist's given name was "Flame Heresy".

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><p><strong>Elder, Elder Jail, Year 632<strong>

"I keep telling you, that lottery was rigged!" the black-haired girl snapped angrily while kicking at the jail bars. Her hair barely reached her neck as she continued to slam the bars. Directly on the other side of the bars, another black-haired girl sat on a backwards chair, resting her arms on the chair's back with her head on them. Next to the girl stood a light blue-haired man, with his arms crossed silently over his chest. The girl in the chair sighed as she eyed the inmate.

"Kyou, you caused a riot just because Ariel won the lottery and not you-"

"I'm telling you, Val! My number should have won! I saw it win in the future when nobody picked it!" the inmate Kyou spat back and shook the bars with her hands to no avail. The girl in the chair called Val sighed again and took a small lollipop out of her white lab coat's pocket.

"Then what if you picking the number changed the future?" she asked rather bluntly. Kyou froze up, and then immediately started rambling swears and slammed her fists repeatedly on the wall. Val stood from the chair and adjusted her coat's collar as she looked to the blue-haired man.

"Let's leave her in here, Kira. She'll take a while to cool off," Val said before she slid the lollipop into her mouth and sucked on it lightly. The man Kira nodded his head and slowly uncrossed his arms from his white and gold top.

"Then it's back to the castle with you," he spoke sternly which made Val sigh again.

"Fine, I needed a recharge anyway," she murmured under her breath so Kira wouldn't hear.

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><p>Wally's Castle, formerly Wally's, was made into a makeshift jail after the Velder invasion incident. Though many people objected to letting the criminal inside its walls roam around, Elder's chief Hoffman stated that it'd be safer for the citizens to give the criminal some leeway. The criminal was given access to anything inside the castle, but was only allowed outside if monitored by someone Hoffman approved.<p>

Kira unlocked the castle's door with a small key before sliding the door open. Val stepped in past him and spun on her heel to face Kira. Neither said anything or even smiled as Kira closed the door and locked it back up. Val rubbed her shoulder slowly and retreated into the interior of the castle that seems to be alive with something...

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><p>The moon shone down at the wall surrounding Elder as a shadow slowly made their way towards it. The shadow gripped at the cloak covering them, their breath ragged as they made haste to the town entrance. Out of nowhere, several black-hooded figures surrounded the cloaked person with blades drawn. In a silent motion, the hooded figures all charged but were just as quickly knocked back by the appearance of a tall man wearing all white, his eyes covered by a golden visor.<p>

"Ferdinand... dispatch them!" the cloaked person commanded between ragged breaths. The man obeyed and held his mechanical glaive out with one hand. In a flash, Ferdinand slashed each of the hooded attackers with ease, going from one to the next with no wasted movements. As the attackers fell to the ground slain, Ferdinand paused for a slightest of seconds before swinging his glaive down in front of him. With a loud clash, the glaive was skillfully caught by a large robotic hand. The cloaked person flinched as Ferdinand was stopped in his tracks.

"Geez, shut up," an annoyed voice scowled bitterly. The cloaked person shifted slightly to see who had caught Ferdinand's attack only to see that the voice's owner was not the one that caught the glaive. Standing in front of Ferdinand was a large silver Nasod, its core shown clearly on its head. Standing beside the Nasod was a clearly annoyed human with black hair tied back in a ponytail. Her white lab coat had several lollipops sticking out of the chest pocket as she took one out and put it in her mouth.

"Miss Val, this man is a Nasod like me," the large Nasod spoke in a very basic robotic voice. Val perked up and gave a small almost invisible smirk.

"How interesting..." At that, Ferdinand let go of his weapon and leapt back to its master's side. Val eyed the cloaked person and held out a lollipop to them. "Want one, girl? I got oil back at my cell for your robot friend too."

"Miss Val, he's a Nasod-"

"Oh shush, you know I'm kidding," Val snapped at the Nasod next to her. The cloaked girl wasn't any less on edge as Ferdinand readied himself to strike again. Val let out a sigh and then disappeared from sight for a split second before she appeared in front of the cloaked girl. "You can calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Val. Don't worry, I only disabled your Nasod's motorworks to keep him from hurting himself."

The cloaked girl glanced to Ferdinand in confusion as the Nasod bodyguard hadn't moved at all despite Val's sudden advance. The large Nasod holding Ferdinand's glaive approached and picked up the motionless bodyguard. Val smiled politely and once again held her lollipop out to the cloaked girl.

"Now then, we best get back before someone sees that I'm outside."

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><p>The cloaked girl was, to put it simply, dumbfounded by what she saw inside the castle. The inside was brightly lit by machines as Nasods of all shapes and sizes wandered around doing tasks. Several giant towers of books were piled up everywhere. The large Nasod carrying Ferdinand dropped him off on a workbench. The cloaked girl made a step towards it but Val interjected.<p>

"Don't worry, they're just repairing him." The girl lowered her outstretched hand slowly and looked to Val under her cloak's hood.

"And who exactly are you to have so much ancient technology?" she spoke slowly but clearly deliberately. Val glanced back at her before she snapped her fingers and created a small red flame on her fingertip. With the flame, she started one underneath a teapot and motioned to a chair nearby.

"Sit down and relax," Val ordered. The girl reluctantly did so, never removing her eyes from Val's rather cold face. As the teapot boiled, Val poured a small cup for the girl. The girl politely took the cup and stared at it.

"I don't have any poison, geez." Val sighed again and leaned against the table to stare at the girl.

"Then you drink too," the girl retorted. Val glanced at the teapot and shook her head.

"I'm not thirsty."

"Then-"

"I'm also not the one being chised," Val stated and stared harshly at the girl who suddenly felt stiff at the comment. Val paused for a moment, rubbing her finger against her throat. "I meant chased."

"How did you know?" the girl asked. Val took a second to register the question before she opened her mouth to answer.

"Those people who attacked you weren't bandits from around here, and the fact you had a bodyguard, let alone a Nasod one, shows that you have some importance, either spiritually or nobility," Val stated. The girl nodded her head slowly and took a sip of the tea.

"My name is Orerries Shuren. Those men were assassins sent by Shura to kill me on Lurensia soil to start a war between Lurensia and Fluone," Orerries spoke until Val suddenly collapsed on the floor. Orerries nearly spilled her tea and stared in shock down at Val until the large Nasod stepped over and picked Val up onto her feet. Orerries watched as the large Nasod pulled a cable out of itself and lifted Val's left sleeve to reveal a small hole that the cable was then pushed into.

"Thanks, Prit..." Val murmured to the large Nasod as she opened her eyes to see Orerries' face.

"A-Are you...?!" she stammered nervously and Val sighed again.

"This is is why we need a better charger, Miss Val," Val spoke loudly. Orerries opened her mouth slightly to ask until a pile of books fell over and crashed behind her.

"Argh, shut up! It's your fault for using so much energy! I didn't tell you to waste energy going outside personally, Fenrir! Prit could've done that alone!" a familiar voice snapped back at Val. Orerries turned her head to see a girl identical to Val dust herself off, wearing a black hoodie and matching skirt. The girl's hair was also tied back in a ponytail.

"Wh-Who are you?" Orerries stammered, still surprised by the sudden appearance of the girl who looked so eerily like Val. The girl looked at Orerries, and without a word popped a lollipop into her mouth.

"Who am I? I'm Val, also known as the Flame Heresy arsonist. Nice to meet you!" The girl laughed as a small ball of blue flames hung in the air by her head. Orerries looked at the girl claiming to be Val and then at the lab coat wearing girl called Val.

"T-Twins...?" Orerries stuttered and the lab coat Val sighed once more.

"I am Code Fenrir," the lab coat wearing Val pulled her left sleeve up higher to show an "X1" on her skin, "I'm the first Nasod created by Miss Val to act as her stand-in. You may refer to me as Fenrir within these walls."

"You can also call her a giant waste of energy," Val interrupted with a scowl. "Honestly, the amount of energy needed to keep you running is ridiculous. Start cutting down."

"You're the one that made me like this. It's your fault I need so much mana to move," Fenrir snapped back as the two glared at each other. Orerries shrank back in her chair as Val suddenly jabbed her finger at Fenrir.

"From now on wear your hair differently! The ponytail look is mine!"

"Then from now on you better fix my vocal works! Having to keep sighing to rework them is annoying!"

"Wally only has junk lying around and Altera is miles away!"

Orerries put her hands over her head as the two began to argue about nonsense.

"I should've gone to Ruben..."


	2. Chapter 2 - Silicon Gene

**Author's Note: And here we go again.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Silicon Gene<strong>

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><p>After Val and Fenrir cooled off, though it took them forty minutes to do so, Orerries coughed politely to return to her story. Val sat on her desk, a lollipop wedged into her mouth, as she quietly listened to the story about Shura wishing to start a war with Velder. As Orerries finished, Val tossed the lollipop's stick into the waste bin beside her desk. Fenrir had left to check on Ferdinand.<p>

"So you came to Elder to speak with Hoffman about this?" Val asked, to which Orerries nodded slowly. Val narrowed her eyes and then snapped her fingers. In an instant a large map of the world unfurled on the wall of bookshelves behind her. Val flicked her finger, and her small ball of blue flames flew over to hover above Elder.

"This is Elder, at the north of Lurensia. If you came from Shura, you would've had to go through Velder and Bethma to get here. So why was Hoffman more important to speak with than the Bethma Chief or Velder King?" Val questioned, her eyes locked on Orerries. Orerries didn't say anything for a second before lifting her head to look at the map.

"I heard Father say that in Elder was something that would stop him."

"Ha? Hate to break it to you, but Hoffman doesn't have a secret weapon lying around. If he did, I'd have stolen it years ago," Val retorted, but was met with Orerries shaking her head and causing her hood to slide off. The light from the lit torches reflected off her bright white long hair as she pointed up to the ball of blue flames.

"That is what Father talked about." Orerries lowered her hand and looked back to Val who sat with a frown on her face as she seemed to be contemplating something. After a minute of silence, Val opened her mouth.

"My blue flames are a combination of the destructive trait of Fire with the purifying trait of Water. This is nearly impossible for any magician to do, I was just born with the means to do so. However, because of this combination these flames can't harm humans. But they do act like an extreme toxic to demons," Val explained to a silent Orerries. Val crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. "Or are you saying-"

"My Father has entered a contract with demons, yes," Orerries stated bluntly before Val could ask. Orerries's hands balled into fists as she continued to speak. "It was... a loathsome demon who looked human... Lyrissa. She appeared one day and convinced my Father to war."

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><p>Elsewhere in the castle, Fenrir trotted down the dark corridor till she reached a door at the end. Without missing a beat, she opened the door and stepped into the well lit bedroom.<p>

"Miss Fen!" two voices happily cheered. Fenrir looked over at two beds situated next to each other as two Nasods sat on them. The two Nasods were human-like similar to Fenrir, one with "X3" on their arm and the other had "X4". They were both female models with black hair. "X3" had her hair tied back in a pink ribbon while "X4" had hers flowing down her back.

"Hello, Pep and Aife. You haven't shut down for the night?" Fenrir asked the girls and they shook their heads.

"We were waiting for you!" Pep said with a smile as she adjusted her nightgown's sleeve over the "X3". Aife nodded in agreement as the two watched Fenrir flop onto her bed with a loud thud. Fenrir lay there for a moment before sitting up to look at the two Nasods.

"That's good, I needed your help with something."

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><p>The sun peeked out over the horizon, stirring Orerries where she had slept which turned out to be the floor next to Val's bed the arsonist had let the princess use. Orerries rubbed her ruby red eyes to brush away the tiredness.<p>

"Ferdinand," she spoke to see if her bodyguard was online. In a flash, Ferdinand appeared beside her, carrying bread and a cup of tea. Orerries murmured a thank you as she munched slowly on the piece of bread. After eating, Orerries opened the creaky door and made her down the corridor to the study she had been the previous night. As she entered the study, she immediately noticed the sprawled out body of Val with a book open on top of her face. Orerries was about to kick the girl awake until a robotic voice cut in.

"I wouldn't do that. Miss Val is dangerous if woken up without care." Orerries and Ferdinand looked to see the bulky frame of Prit behind them. Prit easily stepped past them despite its size and stood next to the passed out body of his creator. A small flap on Prit's chest opened up and Prit took out a wrapped lollipop. With a delicate motion, Prit tore the wrapper off and slipped the lollipop into Val's mouth under the book.

"Miss Val needs large amounts of sugar to keep herself moving. It's very unhealthy, but she never listens," Prit said, almost like a parent. Orerries couldn't come up with a comment to that as Val stirred.

"Argh, shut up..." Val grumbled as she slowly removed the book from her face. "I was working on stuff. Go get me breakfast..."

Orerries thought for a second she heard Prit sigh as the Nasod moved past them.

"She'll be like that for a while, best leave her be," a voice commented from hallway. Prit raised his hand in a gesture to the person as it stepped past to fetch food for the cranky arsonist. The voice's owner stepped into the room with a loud sigh. "Seriously, updating one model shouldn't be this troublesome."

"Shut up, Fenrir..." Val grumbled and turned over so her back was to them. Orerries tilted her head as the Nasod standing with her looked nothing like Fenrir. This Nasod had short golden hair tied up to the side in a small ponytail with a red ribbon. Instead of the lab coat, she wore plain white T-shirt with what seemed to be some sort of purple bat logo on the front.

"You're...?"

"Last night Miss Val agreed to remake my entire model. I had my roommates help with the clothes and hair. Now I shouldn't be having mana problems like yesterday," Fenrir explained, playing with one of her bangs. As Fenrir ranted on about how lazy Val had been, Prit returned with breakfast for Val. Val begrudgingly ate with a permanent scowl on her face.

"I thought she was supposed to be your stand-in," Orerries wondered as she glanced at Val. Val shrugged her shoulders carefree.

"I don't need her to be one anymore," was all Val said before returning to her food. Fenrir rested a hand on her hip as she glanced to Prit. Prit's core was flashing a distinct red, which made Fenrir and Val tense up.

"What does that mean?" Orerries asked upon seeing the flashing.

"Demon interference detected. Incoming, incoming," Prit stated and began repeating "incoming" until Val snapped, "Prit! Core Transfer now!"

With that command, Prit's core became dark and its steel body froze up. Before Orerries could wonder, Val was already giving orders to the other Nasods hanging around to hide.

"You two, stay here!" Val snapped at Orerries and Ferdinand as she rushed out of the study with Fenrir close behind. Orerries huffed quietly and crossed her arms angrily.

"Don't order me around!" she called out before following with Ferdinand.

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><p>The main hall of the castle was large and empty as the Nasods had disappeared. In the center of the hall, Val and Fenrir stood with their backs to each other.<p>

"Interference is closing in. Three identified," Fenrir reported, a small hologram screen in front of her right eye. The screen closed as Val tugged a black and red glove over her right hand. "However..." Fenrir was cut off as a loud explosion erupted above them. The explosion opened a large gaping hole in the roof as three figures landed on the floor in front of Fenrir.

Two of the figures were identical giants each wearing what seemed like wrestling title belt and eye mask, commonly referred to as Victors. The third who stood between them, was more human-like with long white hair, piercing gold eyes, and a slim sword in one hand. Val's blue flame ball started to quiver as if to pounce until Fenrir held a hand out to stop it.

"Miss Val, the middle one is human."

"What?!"

As he seemed to hear that, the middle intruder smirked smugly.

"I am General Shafer. We're here for the princess. We know she's here so hand her over and you won't die, arsonist," Shafer ordered, his smirk never leaving his face. Val's lip twitched, but she remained back-to-back with Fenrir.

"So I supposed you're here to counter my flame and the demons are the brutes," Val said as she silently touched the back of her glove without the intruders noticing. A small red light began to faintly glow from the gear pattern on the back of the glove. Shafer's smirk turned into a grin as he pointed his sword to Fenrir.

"That's right, and for further trouble, I had this sword specially made to kill humans instantly," he stated which made Val grin without his knowing.

"Well ain't that a shame!" Val cackled as she raised her right hand and slammed it onto the floor just as Orerries and Ferdinand reached the hall. Shafer braced himself as a giant sigil appeared beneath Val and Fenrir.

"Dimension Link... INSPECTOR!" Val shouted. A bright flash of light burst from the sigil, making the demons and Shafer covered their faces. From the sigil, a giant robotic hand emerged followed by an equally giant cannon. As the light faded, Shafer and the demons looked to see a gigantic Nasod now standing behind Fenrir and Val.

"I don't even need to fight you lackeys," Val commented as she took a seat on the stairway. "Fenrir, Prit."

"Yes, Miss Val?" Fenrir and the giant Nasod Inspector responded. Val grinned widely as she took out a lollipop.

"Rip them apart!" At that command, the giant Nasod Inspector threw its large hand towards the demons, smashing one Victor into the floor before swinging its cannon arm and sending the other Victor flying through the wall and outside. Shafer gritted his teeth in anger as he readied his sword and flashed in front of Val.

"Your toy can't save you!" Shafer snapped as he swung his sword at Val's head. Fenrir immediately intercepted and made the sword slash across her chest. Shafer smirked and chuckled. "And now your friend sacrifices herself for you too. You humans are so stupid!"

"Yes, they are. You included." Shafer's eyes widened before Fenrir's fist crushed his face and propelled him through a pillar holding the ceiling up. Fenrir flexed her arm and checked her shirt to make sure she redirected the blade to not damage it. Shafer screamed vile profanities as he clutched at his face with his free hand. Fenrir gave him a pitiful look as she stepped towards him.

"Wh-What are you?!" Shafer shouted, rushing at Fenrir with his human-killing sword ready. Fenrir gave a small, almost human, smirk at that. Shafer's blade was effortlessly knocked back by Fenrir's left arm and she clenched her right fist tightly, her back bent forward.

"I'm a Nasod, bi-" The rest of Fenrir's line couldn't be heard by Shafer as Fenrir's right fist planted itself squarely into his chin, and sent him into the ceiling with a loud crash. Val clapped calmly while Orerries looked dumbstruck at the one-sided beat-down she just witnessed. Fenrir rubbed her right hand and then looked up at the ceiling.

"Miss Val, we best be leaving now," she called over. Val nodded and signaled to the Nasod Inspector.

"Prit, Dimension Link Cancel!" she called out. The Inspector nodded and in a flash of light vanished. Val stood from the stairs as Orerries rushed down them to avoid a falling piece of the ceiling. Val laughed innocently while the ceiling began to crumble around them.

"Now this is how you break out of jail!"

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><p>The castle's hall was completed destroyed when Elder's guards arrived with Hoffman. Kira was silently observing the dead Victor in the floor as the one outside had disappeared along with any sign of Shafer. Hoffman stepped over some debris as he made his way to the stairs. The head of the city bent over to brush a rock off of what appeared to be a folded piece of paper.<p>

"No sign of the arsonist, sir," one guard reported to Kira as Hoffman had sat down to read the paper. Kira nodded and looked around at the mess.

"What a flashy way to escape," he commented. Hoffman suddenly laughed, making Kira and the guards look over at him. Hoffman had folded the paper up and pocketed it before standing.

"Kira, go get Kyou from her cell. We have somewhere we need to go," Hoffman instructed. Unbeknownst to Hoffman and Kira, deep underneath them in the secret laboratory, Prit had returned to its smaller body as the Inspector's body sat silently.

"Miss Val and Miss Fen have successfully escape the area!" Pep and Aife announced cheerfully. Prit nodded its head before it sat down.

"Unit requires recharging. Instructions are to rest and keep out of sight," Prit stated. Pep and Aife watched Prit before they quietly started whispering to each other.

"Isn't Prit so cool? You saw how he took out those demons in a flash?"

"I know right? I think I'm falling for him!"

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><p>Out on the dirt road leading away from Elder, a small caravan rolled along with its two horses steadily keeping the pace. The driver looked rather young as he smiled at the open road. His black hair was messy and stuck up in random places, but he didn't seem to mind. He turned his head back to peer inside the caravan and its riders.<p>

"We should be out of Elder's scope now!" he confirmed to which Val nodded her head.

"Thanks for being ready, Zildren. Glad my letter last night reached you," Val replied. Zildren chuckled and cracked on the reins.

"We'll be in Bethma by tonight. Where's our final destination?" Zildren asked, brushing some black hair out of his eyes. Val pursed her lips to think while next to her Orerries sat quietly, being pestered with questions about her hair by Zildren's other passenger, a girl with long brown hair.

"I suppose we'll go to Velder to get a ship to Hamel," Val stated calmly which made Zildren and the brown-haired girl freeze up.

"You do know who you are, right?!" they both asked in shock. Zildren twitched at the fact he spoke in unison with the girl. "Schirra don't copy me!"

"I'm not copying you!" she snapped back before Val scowled and that shut them both up. Val sucked on her lollipop for a second before answering their question.

"I know full well Velder wants me in chains. Which is why we aren't going to ask them for a ship," Val explained with a glance to Fenrir who was "sleeping" to restore the power she spent and be on detection mode in case more demons arrived. Val chuckled and crunched down on her lollipop. "We're stealing one."


	3. Chapter 3 - Violator

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, been sick lately.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Violator<strong>

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><p><strong>Tiano City, Old Year -445<strong>

It was a city unlike any in the world today. Buildings as tall as mountains littered the city, with humans riding El-powered vehicles around. It was an age of humans and Nasods... or at least was supposed to be.

"Pick up the pace, you stupid robots!" a human bellowed from where he stood safely on the ground in front of a half-finished building. The human's eyes were fixed on the Nasods that were working on the building, myself included. I was a Nasod just like all the others. A silver steel body, an optic lens in the center of what was supposed to be a head, a series of letters and numbers on my arm to mark what model I was, and a visible core on my chest. Identical to all the Nasods that worked.

A crash brought the human's attention to a fallen Nasod, its core dead and dark. It had run out of El to function. The human was showing what we were programmed to recognize as anger. He began to kick the dead Nasod repeatedly as we still moving Nasods resumed our work. This was how the world worked to us.

We working Nasods were only to work until we ceased functioning. That was our purpose. But as more and more El was used, more of us workers ceased faster. But we were not programmed to care about such things. There were different Nasods for those such subjects. Namely what the humans referred to as the Royalties; five Nasods with far superior specs than a simple worker like myself. Each were given the title of royalty and a unique name to call their own.

One such Nasod was watching us workers right now. Sitting on the chair provided to them by the same human who was currently bashing the fallen Nasod. The human was being so violent yet the Royalty Nasod didn't even acknowledge it. This was how the world worked and I carried on. As I was beginning the next wall, a human female suddenly appeared in my optic lens. Was she human? She had a golden pair of wings on her back to match her golden hair and clothes. My database had no information of this woman as she gave me what my core recognized as a smile.

"Save us," she whispered to my core. But I could not understand it. She did not appear to be in danger. The strange woman extended her hand to my core and gave it a light tap. Ordinarily this would've caused my self-preservation program to kick in and protect my core, but it did nothing. My sensors detected a small presence near my legs but it was too late. Whatever it was had pushed my leg with enough force to cause me to fall backwards.

I crashed onto the ground, mere inches away from where the Royalty sat. The fall had cracked my optic lens as it looked straight up to see the face of the Royalty. He was displaying an emotion despite being a Nasod like me. I could not determine what emotion as my lens was broken, but my core recognized it as anger when his foot smashed into my lens.

"Damn worker almost landed on me!" my sensors caught the Royalty saying loudly.

"Duke Fister, are you okay?" the human asked and the Royalty gave my head another stomp. How was he displaying emotions yet still a Nasod? Why couldn't I display such things? For the first time, my core seemed to ask questions that I was not programmed for. What made the Royalty special? Why was I forced to work until I break?

Why...

_ Why_...

_WHY?!_

"Malfunction Code accepted. System rebooting..."

The words echoed in my core as the soft blue light it emitted turned into a violent red. My steel hand grabbed the Duke Fister's foot and pulled. His balance was offset and the Royalty fell. I could not see anything, my body seemed to move on its own. My sensors caught the Duke screaming at me but the words would not register. Then the noise went away... I could feel something in my hand before my fingers closed and the sound of shattered glass echoed against my sensors. I had broken Duke Fister's core.

My body began to move again, my hands moved to my head and then dug into the steel where my mouth would be if I were human. My hands created a hole for a mouth before shoving something inside. My sensors immediately registered what it was. I was "eating" the pieces of Duke's core. Suddenly my body dropped onto the ground once more, this time by something heavy.

"You... mn... ster..." was all my sensors could register from underneath whatever had me pinned. What my sensors did register though from those sounds was the identity of the one speaking. It was a voice all workers had registered: the voice of the Royalties. More specifically, it was the Madame Wish. I was surely to be destroyed now for malfunctioning. But then another registered voice was caught.

"Wait," was all the voice said and the pressure on my frame was lifted. Though my optic lens was destroyed, my head still moved towards the source of the voice. It was the voice of the one at the top of the Nasods: the Queen. My limbs were bound and my frame lifted, but my core remained intact. I was placed inside something I could not register as the voices of the Queen and Madame Wish could be.

"My Queen, why keep this _thing's _core? It destroyed Fister!" Madame Wish spoke. Her words were true, what I had done would surely equal termination. But my core fell silent at the Queen's next words.

"I can no longer stand by and watch as my people are forced to do such things. This one will get their punishment, but they are not to blame." Those were the last words I would hear as a door was shut and my core entered hibernation...

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><p><strong>Ruben Village, Year 618<strong>

One thousand and sixty-three years... That's how long I remained in hibernation. My silver body now rusted, the door of my cell long since fallen off. Yet my frame would not move. My El source inside me had only enough energy to stay in hibernation, if I were to move, my energy would be depleted that much sooner. And with my optic lens destroyed, finding an energy source would be impossible. I was doomed to stay here, dirt and tree roots as my only company. Until a sudden crash alerted my dying sensors.

Though many things have crashed before while I hibernated, this was different for it was followed by a noise... a voice.

"Prit! Where'd you go?!" A young voice, human female. My sensors felt something begin to crawl onto my leg before it beeped loudly, alerting the human. I could register the noise of the human female as she approached and took the thing off my leg.

"You had me worried!" the human said to which the thing beeped again. Was it... a Nasod? Why was a Nasod with a human...? Human. I felt my hibernation end at the thought of that word. My rusty arm lifted itself, my fingers rusted shut in a fist, and I swung. I could not register what happened next immediately. My arm, though rusty, was broken by the human. A human that couldn't be older than ten years had broken my arm bare-handed.

"Don't touch Prit! I'm not done making him yet!" the human female said. But it was too late, my power source was too low and my body collapsed. The next thing I knew I was looking at a wooden ceiling. Wait... I could see? I couldn't move my limbs, but I could definitely see again.

Then all of a sudden, my sensors went online and I could register the sounds of tools coming from my leg. I tilted my lens to view and could barely make out black hair with a small silver frame resting on top. The frame was that of an Oro, but it looked vastly inferior to the ones I knew. Almost like a human... child... made it...

The hair moved and I saw a human girl stand up into my line of sight. Her face was dirty, but she showed the emotion of happiness on her face. The girl took notice of my lens and the Oro on her head beeped.

"Oh good you're functioning again. It's a good thing Ruben has El crystals around," she spoke while wiping her face clean. Was she the one who fixed my lens? As I registered that, my leg began to move, signaling to my core that it was fixed. That answered my question. This little girl was fixing me... but why? The girl seemed to bounce up and down as she examined my frame.

"It's so great that Prit found you! I've been wanting to see a real Nasod! Oh I almost forgot." The girl lifted the Oro on her head and presented it to my lens so I could see how horribly made it was. "This is Prit! I made him out of scraps I found in the ruins! The core was the hardest part to find though and all I could find was a fragment."

To this, the Oro beeped. That explained its poor functions as well. At least it knew when it was talked about... wait... it what? The human didn't seem to stop talking as she went on about how she fixed me and created that horrible excuse for a Nasod. Though I do suppose she did okay for a human her age.

"Ah, I keep forgetting!" the girl suddenly spoke louder, and then smiled at my lens. "My name's Val! Pleased to meet you!"

What a weird girl.

* * *

><p><strong>Path to Bethma, Year 632<strong>

Fenrir's eyes slowly opened and she shifted her body into a sitting position. She took notice that the moon was out and that none of the three other people in the back of the caravan seemed to change what they had been doing before Fenrir recharged herself. Except Orerries seemed to be staring at her.

"May I help you, Princess?" Fenrir asked politely. Orerries rested her chin on her knees and continued to stare at Fenrir before she asked, "Do Nasods dream?"

Fenrir paused at the question and then shook her head.

"We were not created to have such a function," Fenrir responded but seeing that Orerries was still staring, the Nasod added, "Though while in standby mode I do replay recordings I've collected in my core."

"Like how Miss Val found you?" Orerries asked suddenly. Fenrir did not remember ever sharing that with the Princess, but didn't need to question it as Val answered.

"I told her about it while you were off in memory lane," Val commented with a sly smirk on her face. Fenrir scowled humanly and rested her head upon her fist.

"Did you also tell her that you made Prit because nobody would be your friend?" Fenrir shot back and Val's smirk disappeared instantly. Val began to steam as she shoved a lollipop into her mouth. Orerries smiled softly as she watched, tightly holding her legs to her chest. Fenrir sighed and started to watch the sky out of the caravan, but a small smile played at her lips.

_From my actions that day, my core evolved with the consumption of Duke Fister's. I can feel emotions, express them, and even understand them. I do not regret my actions. I can though express my thanks to Queen for sparing me. If she hadn't... I wouldn't have made a friend...Even though that friend is a complete weirdo._

* * *

><p>Steel moved around silently around a small pod hovering in mid-air. The lid of the pod hissed and slowly slid open to reveal the contents. A figure approached the pod and smiled at the Nasod inside it.<p>

"That monster still lives. Wake up, Fister. I'm not losing you again," Wish spoke as she brushed her long pale pink hair behind her ear. Two rabbit-shaped drones hovered beside her and seemed to giggle as a hand reached out of the pod.


	4. Chapter 4 - What You Are

**Author's Note: Now with a lot of the background done, things will be moving faster than they have been. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – What You Are<strong>

* * *

><p>Zildren heaved a large crate onto the back of the caravan as Schirra assisted him. Orerries had made herself a small little sitting space near the front so she wouldn't be crushed by the crates. She saw what appeared to be tanks in the openings of the crates, but didn't question it until Zildren sat back on his seat in the front.<p>

"Those are air tanks. One of the hobbies in Hamel is scuba-diving, so we'll be using that as a cover to get through Feita," Zildren explained when Orerries finally did ask about them. The princess seemed to ponder the idea while Schirra slipped in next to her. Fenrir sat next to Zildren and surveyed the area silently.

"Why would you need a cover to go through Feita?" Orerries asked and was immediately answered by Val after she stuffed a lollipop into her mouth.

"The Knights of Feita managed to set up a safe route through Feita after the whole demon invasion appeared. To make sure no one suspicious passes through to Velder, they have three checkpoints that cannot be skipped," she stated matter-of-factly before lifting herself up onto her feet. Val quickly hopped off the caravan and Orerries scrambled to the end.

"W-Wait! Where are you going?"

"Eh? Isn't it obvious? I can't be seen by the checkpoints. So I'm taking a longer way around."

"Th-Then why can't we all go that way?" Orerries asked, gripping the caravan tightly, staring directly at Val as the mage stared back. Val sighed softly and waved her hand dismissively.

"Because you'll need to enter Velder to get to Hamel. I have my own way there and need to check up on something," she replied calmly, but that only made Orerries mad.

"That doesn't answer my question!" she snapped. Val shifted the lollipop in her mouth and looked to Fenrir, Schirra, and Zildren. Something seemed to click in Val's head as she closed her eyes for a second.

"... Ah that's why. Look, you can trust Fen. Zildren and Schirra may be hired, but they know better than to betray a paying customer. Right, you two?" Val called over, and the two of them both shivered slightly before replying with a scared smile "Y-Yes, Val."

Orerries didn't seem convinced though as she bit her bottom lip. She continued to glare at Val before Fenrir interjected.

"You'll be meeting us in Hamel, right?" Fenrir asked, even though she knew the answer. Val nodded affirmatively, and Orerries slowly stopped biting her lip. She reached under her cloak and in a quick motion, threw something at Val. Val caught it gingerly and inspected it. It was a simple brooch with an amber jewel in the center of a golden ring.

"You better return that," was all Orerries said before going back into the caravan to take her seat. Val looked stunned for a moment before composing herself and she slipped the brooch into her pocket.

"We'll see you in Hamel," Fenrir called back and Val nodded her head before she turned and in a different direction. Orerries gripped her legs to her chest with a sour look on her face. Next to her, Schirra looked a tad hurt from not being trusted and quickly took out a deck of cards.

"W-Wanna play some games, princess?" Schirra offered nervously, but was rejected by a bitter stare from the princess. "Or maybe not..."

Orerries stared at her knees as Zildren cracked the reins and the caravan began to move. The princess lifted her head when she thought she heard muffled laughter. She looked over at Fenrir where the noise seemed to be coming from.

"Is something wrong?" she asked cautiously before Fenrir turned her head to look at the princess.

"In Hamel there's an old tradition Miss Val taught me where the women would gift something to a soldier and tell them to return it when they got back from war. It's used as a means of engagement as every women who has done this has always married the soldier when they returned from battle with the gift."

At the explanation, Orerries appeared to be perfectly composed until her face suddenly turned bright red and her body shook in embarrassment.

"WHAT!?"

* * *

><p>"Heeeeeeeeey! Get this thing moving faster! I don't want to sleep in a caravan!" Kyou complained noisily from the back of a caravan that was in the middle of climbing a tall hill. Kira looked about ready to strangle her as he snapped on the reins again. Hoffman chuckled quietly watching the two as he mulled over papers.<p>

As their caravan reached the top of the hill, Kira suddenly tugged on the reins, which stopped the horses in their tracks. Kyou poked her head at the sudden stop.

"What's wrong? Need the bathroom?"

"We're being blocked," Kira replied, completely ignoring the girl's question as he stared forward. In front of them in the middle of the road stood the bulky model of Prit, faced towards them silently. Kira put the reins down and jumped off, a hand already on his sword's hilt. Hoffman peered out in curiosity.

"A Nasod? Is it one of Wally's?" he asked and Kyou giggled.

"That's not one of Wally's," she said with a smile as she watched Kira approach Prit till they were facing each other. Hoffman eyed Kyou suspiciously in the meantime.

"Do you know that Nasod?"

"I might. And I might know why it's here. Buuuuut I'm not gonna say!" Kyou remarked with another giggle. Kira didn't seem to hear this as he slowly drew his sword out and pointed it towards the Nasod.

"State your business," he ordered coolly. Prit said nothing but lifted one of its hands to push something on his chest. Kira was about ready to attack at the suspicious movement until Prit finally addressed him.

"I am the Personal Relationship Inspection Tester. Though many simply call me Prit for short. I am here to duel the one called Kira." Prit pointed one of its thick steel fingers towards the swordsman. Kira seemed annoyed but took his stance regardless.

"I don't have time to deal with you," he spoke icily. Prit moved its arms to form a shield with its forearms. Kira lowered himself before he kicked off the ground, instantly covering the distance between the two. The tip of Kira's blade dug into Prit's steel arm and gouged out a long sliver of the Nasod's arm. Kira didn't slow down his assault as his blade chipped away at Prit's arms.

Kira pulled his sword back in his right hand before he twirled it to hold it upside down. The blade began to glow light blue as Kira murmured an incantation under his breath. Prit beeped softly as its Nasod turned dark, hidden behind its damaged arms.

"Shockwave!" A blue curved burst of energy erupted from Kira's blade as he swung it across Prit's body. The energy sliced into Prit's weakened arms, easily severing the Nasod's arm and cutting deep into the body. Kira jumped away from Prit as its body began to spark and crackle. Prit's body erupted into flames and finally exploded, kicking up dirt and dust.

Kira blocked the dust from reaching his face with his arm. After the dust settled, Kira lowered his arm and motioned to two guards in the caravan to come clear the road. Hoffman rested his hands on the driver's seat as he watched.

"You certainly don't hold back," Hoffman commented as Kira pulled himself back into the driver's seat after Hoffman removed his hands. Kira waited for a jabbing comment from Kyou, but when it never came, he looked back into the caravan.

"... Where'd Kyou go?" Kira asked with a sigh. The manacle he had used to keep her still was empty with a small piece of paper underneath. The paper showed a comical face sticking its tongue out at Kira.

* * *

><p>Val pulled her hood up as she passed underneath a rocky structure. In the distance, a large object was floating in the air: Altera. A small beep made Val jump a little, but she quickly reached into her coat and brought out a small silver Oro. With a soft smile, she tucked the Oro against her the side of her neck.<p>

"Sorry about the body, Prit." _Beep. _"Don't worry, you'll get a new one soon." _Beep._

Val hummed a tune to the little Oro as she continued her carefree walk along the rocks. Out of nowhere, an arrow pierced Val's chest from the front. Val's eyes widened at the sudden attack but couldn't respond in time as a black-cloaked figure rushed at her, their hood drawn up to hide their face. From the oversized sleeves of the cloak, two pearly white blades stuck out.

With no wasted movement, the figure sliced through Val's neck and sent the mage's head flying off. The figure straightened up and turned to see her victim. That is, if there was one. The figure flinched as Val's body broke down into small cubes and eventually dissolved.

"Well that was rude," a voice pipped up before she giggled. The cloaked figure lifted their head to see Kyou sitting on top of a large rock structure while Val stood next to her, Prit safely tucked away on her shoulder. The cloaked figure braced themselves, but wasn't prepared for what came next. In a split second, the entire world was turned upside down for the cloaked attacker. As the attacker dangled in the air by their foot, Kyou laughed and moved her finger around to make the attacker's body move with it. Val stepped off the rock and landed gently on the ground in front of the poor attacker.

"Now then. Who are you?" Val asked, but the cloaked figure remained silent. Val motioned to Kyou for something. Kyou beamed happily and started moving her other fingers. The cloaked figure trembled before bursting into laughter.

"St-Stop! Th-That's not hahaha fair!" the cloaked figure laughed out but Kyou continued. The figure squirmed and laughed uncontrollably until she was dropped back onto the ground roughly.

"That's so evil, Kyou," Val commented as Kyou floated down gracefully with a large smile on her face.

"Oh thank you! Aren't you glad I popped up when I did?" she asked and Val thought about it for a moment.

"Not really, you knew what would happen anyway." Kyou pouted noticeably and kicked the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure twitched before Kyou reached down and pulled their cloak off. Underneath was a girl with long jet black hair wearing clothes that showed off their midriff. Her face looked pained from the tickling and falling, but she was unconscious which was determined after Kyou slapped her face a couple times.

"What are you even doing here, Kyou?" Val asked as Kyou finished slapping the unconscious girl.

"I was bored of Kira so I wanted to tag along with you!" she replied instantly as if expecting the question. Val sighed and popped another lollipop into her mouth.

"Well guess this helps me anyway. Tie her up and bring me to Altera fast," Val requested to which Kyou pursed her lips quizzically.

"Why Altera?" she asked and Val tugged on her hood to keep it on her head.

"I have business there," was all Val said and all Kyou needed. Kyou stood up and pulled some rope out of thin air and it came to life. The rope snaked around the unconscious girl tightly and lifted her off the ground on its own. Kyou giggled as she watched the girl float.

"I wonder why she attacked you. Do you know her?" Kyou asked and Val shook her head.

"I don't know anyone that shows off that much skin," she responded tiredly. Kyou laughed and eyed the girl's midriff. Kyou's eyes glinted dangerously as she smiled evilly.

"Then I'll have some fun with her!"

* * *

><p>Clouds covered the sky and blocked out the moon as Zildren's caravan reached Feita. Several soldiers were waiting for them, armed with torches as one held a hand up to stop the caravan. Zildren brought the caravan to a halt and smiled calmly.<p>

"Hello again, Zildren," the soldier said and motioned for Zildren to get off. Zildren nodded and hopped off as Fenrir, Orerries, and Schirra were also told to leave the caravan. The soldiers began inspecting the inside of the caravan as Zildren was occupied signing papers the soldier handed to him. Orerries shivered lightly from the cold wind and looked out to gaze at the scenery. Twisted trees with roots sticking out accompanied the road with broken rocks scattered about.

"Alright, you may pass." At the word of the soldier, Zildren and everyone else got back onto the caravan and slowly trotted past the checkpoint and into Feita. Unbeknownst to anyone there, someone watched them from on top of a tall hill overlooking the checkpoint. The person grinned widely and adjusted the eye-patch covering his right eye. His pale purple hair blew gently from the cold breeze that seemed to grow colder after passing him.


	5. Chapter 5 - Never

**Author's Note: I'm honestly only putting these notes here to make the chapter look better on my screen otherwise the Chapter part looks weird.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Never<strong>

* * *

><p>In the darkness of the room, chains that hung from the ceiling jangled quietly. Water dripped silently onto the pale skin of the black-haired girl's midriff, and sent shivers along her skin. Her eyes slowly fluttered opened before they snapped open wide in shock. She tried to move her arms but found them bound above her head by chains. Her ankles were chained as well as she started to struggle.<p>

A small ball of light suddenly illuminated the room, and caused the girl to wince at the brightness. After her eyes adjusted she noticed Kyou standing across from her with the ball of light in her hand. Behind Kyou stood two muscular men who easily towered over the magician. Kyou flashed the tied-up girl a sweet smile before she motioned to one of the men. The man moved behind Kyou, and the tied-up girl noticed the man had a fox tail before he got down on all fours. Kyou happily sat down on the man's beefy back before she crossed her legs.

"Hey there," Kyou spoke, ignoring the girl's struggles. The tied-up girl shot Kyou a hateful glare as more water dripped onto her midriff. Kyou giggled nonchalantly as she watched the girl squirm. "So I would like to know why you attacked my sweet Val-"

"Let me go!" the tied-up girl interrupted angrily. The corner of Kyou's lip twitched slightly but she continued to maintain her smile. Kyou held her hand up to the other man still behind her. The man reached into his pants, at this the tied-up girl noticed the man's lack of a shirt, before he took out a large book with two entwined symbols on the cover. Kyou took the book and held it up so the tied-up girl could see it better.

"Tell me, you sweet innocent attacker," Kyou began to say as a sly smirk stretched across her face. "Do you know what BL is?"

* * *

><p>Val stifled a yawn as she stood in a room filled with machinery. Kyou had agreed to teleport Val and her to Altera in exchange for being the one to interrogate the girl who had attacked her. Beside her stood a short furry animal decked out in human clothes as he examined the technology in front of him.<p>

"Every time I come here it's so interesting, pong," Adel said with a joyful tone, his ears twitched in excitement. Val nodded in agreement as she scanned the room with her eyes. After a few more minutes, the room's door slowly opened and in walked a girl with long pink hair. Her forehead shone in the light of the monitors plastered on the wall, the light reflecting off the reddish pink Nasod Core embedded in her forehead.

"We're ready for you," she spoke softly, eyeing Val mysteriously before she turned and led them out of the room. Adel didn't bother hiding his excitement as he looked everywhere at the machinery whirling around them, lights flashing along countless monitors. Val just focused on the steel-grated catwalk beneath them as they walked along it. After they entered the next room, Adel shielded his eyes from the bright lights that filled the room.

The room was gigantic, the walls showed many runes along the length, but the most important part of the room towered over them. The giant Nasod looked at them with its small head as it rested its giant hands on the edges of the platform. The Nasod that led Val and Adel stepped aside to let the two get closer.

"Welcome to my quarters," the giant Nasod spoke, its voice crackling with static. "Forgive me for I have not used my vocal works for many, many years."

Val nodded her head and looked at the large Nasod Cores that adorned the giant Nasod. This was the King of the Nasods, one of the five Royalty listed in Fenrir's memory files: Adam. Adel politely bowed to the Nasod to which the King noticed.

"There is no need to bow to me, Sir Adel. I have wronged your people terribly in the past. If I could, I would be the one to bow," King Adam spoke and moved its head down to imitate bowing. Adel straightened up and smiled to the King.

"We've settled our differences thanks to that fairy girl. Now we simply wish for the peace we have to continue," Adel stated and the King moved its head head up and down to agree. The King then noticed Val and seemed to fall silent as it focused on the girl. Val was about to ask what it wanted until it spoke.

"I sense something. Something I have not felt in... forever... Apple, do you sense it too?" King Adam spoke slowly and then addressed the Nasod who had brought Val and Adel there. The Nasod Princess Apple nodded her head and eyed Val. "I do indeed."

Val looked utterly confused until she saw the yellow screen that covered the King's face to turn red. She took a cautious step back as the King lifted one of his hands and moved it in front of her.

"You... From you I sense three things. The presence of TSC-21 whom my Queen saved from destruction, the presence of my Queen herself, and..." the King's voice slowly died out as he gazed at Val. "The presence of something that you should not have."

Val glanced to Apple and then back at the King. She slowly reached into her coat and took out something that looked like a computer chip. Apple stared at the chip silently, her right hand lightly gripped onto her left arm.

"If you mean this, this is just a part I took from a friend of mine I rescued years and years ago. I dunno if what you said was her old model number, but it was just something I replaced and kept for memories and possible blackmail," Val explained. Apple stepped closer to examine the chip and then looked at the King.

"It is indeed TSC-21's. Though it's nothing more than a mobility system chip that's heavily outdated," Apple stated. The King took note of this but kept his attention fixed on Val.

"Then why do I sense my Queen still on you... and that..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Val blurted out without caring for formalities as she stared up at the King. The King seemed taken aback, but quickly resumed what he was saying.

"The things I sense from you are the presence of the Queen Nasod Eve and something much older," King Adam said again. Val perked up at the latter, and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"How old are we talking here?" she asked and the King Adam moved his hand away from Val to lean back against his chamber's wall.

"Older than I and my Queen, but to explain it would cost time-"

"Do it," Val bluntly ordered as she sat down on the steel grating, her legs crossed. Adel mimicked her with a small whisper of apology. Seeing no way to avoid it, the King began.

"Before my time, this planet was dead until the El crashed into the earth. From this brought about life to the dead world. Humans, Ponggo, Elves, all walks of life arose from this. But so did the Nasods," the King explained, noticing Apple join Val and Adel on the floor to listen as well.

"The first Nasods... There were three of them, that we now call the Ancients. All three were awoken by the El and began to do what they wished. The first Ancient used its own body to construct a smaller version of itself and used the remainder of its body to form a floating city for its smaller version to watch over as it eyed the world below. This Ancient was called Eltrion."

"The second Ancient followed Eltrion's example and began using its own body to create far smaller beings than Eltrion had. The first of these beings was the Queen, followed by the remaining four you call Royalties. From us, the second Ancient created many more Nasods, but was not able to give them the same powers as us first five. Deeply saddened by this, the Ancient gave the Queen all of its knowledge before it ceased to function. This Ancient was called Pemden, and is the true creator of the Nasod race you see now."

"The last of the Ancients traveled the once barren lands of this world before it dug into the earth to sleep once more. Later humans built a country on top of it, completely ignorant to its presence beneath them. This Ancient was called Rezmius, and is the presence I feel from you," King Adam stated as its gaze never wavered from Val. Val rested her head on her hand as she mulled over the story.

"If they were from before you, how do you know of them?" Adel asked innocently as he rubbed his stomach discreetly.

"The Queen bestowed me this knowledge before her passing-"

"She's dead?!" Val and Adel shouted in surprise. Apple seemed startled by the sudden shouts and fell backwards. The King nodded its small head sadly.

"It happened a few days after the Queen had imprisoned TSC-21. She was attacked and her Core was shattered, the pieces lost forever. Who attacked her though, we do not know," the King stated. Val bit her bottom lip gently and decided to change topics to avoid any ill feelings from the Nasods.

"You said you could feel that Ancient coming from me. Did you feel it when we met years ago?" Val asked and the King shook its head in dismay.

"I did not which is what confuses me. You appear the same as you did back then seven years ago," Val clicked her tongue bitterly at the statement on her height, "and yet I feel it now."

Val leaned back on her hands and stared at the high ceiling to think. Adel rubbed his stomach more, obviously hungry as he glanced around for any sort of food. Val lifted one of her hands and rummaged around in her coat to see what she had stored. After tossing Adel a lollipop, Val slipped her hand back into her coat and took out the gem Orerries had given her. The King immediately stopped leaning as he stared at the gem.

"There. Though it is a simple gem and nothing more, I feel Rezmius's influence upon it. Where did you acquire this?" King Adam asked and Val grimaced as her eyes glinted with knowing.

"... Shura, the country most likely to have been built on top of that Ancient you spoke of," Val stated and then closed her mouth as something in my mind clicked. "Hey, King. How powerful are these Ancients?"

"How powerful? I do not know, though it could stand to reason each were equal to the other. Though now that Pemden broke itself down to become us Nasods and Eltrion broke itself to become a watcher... Rezmius would be assumed to be the strongest now. Why do you ask?"

Val pocketed the gem and jumped to her feet before lifting her hood up over her head. Prit, who had been resting in the hood, tumbled slightly out but quickly darted back to its resting spot against Val's neck. Without a word, Val turned and began to leave the room, Adel quickly running after her. King Adam and Apple watched the two leave before Apple looked to the King.

"But we didn't get to know why the Queen's presence was on her," Apple said sadly with a frown as the King stared to the door. He rested his hand back down where it had been.

"I have a feeling she knows why."

* * *

><p>Kyou was all smiles as she closed her book just as Val stepped into the room. Kyou turned to wave at her as the two men with Kyou were sweating heavily and looked red in the face. Still chained up, the black-haired girl's face almost seemed like it was ready to explode from how red it looked.<p>

"Kyou, I need you to take me somewhere," Val stated, completely ignoring the situation in the room. Kyou laughed and hopped off the man's back before she handed the book back to the still standing male.

"Sure thing! I found a nice toy after all! Rigidus, Remnant! You two have fun with her while I'm out," Kyou said to the two men who nodded their heads slowly, obviously still affected by whatever it is Kyou did with the book. Val continued to ignore the situation as she quickly left with Kyou right behind her. "So where are we heading? Lanox? Feita? That small village of mischievous foxes that was destroyed by a demon dude with sister issues?"

"Kyou, you can see what happens in time, right?" Val asked, still disregarding anything Kyou said. Kyou laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Yeah... Remember that whole thing with the lottery back in Elder? Seems like I may have accidentally changed the future I had seen prior to it because of it. Though I completely blame that girl Ariel. I'll have to synchronize myself in my library to regain my time sight," Kyou said without a hint of regret. Val stopped walking down the hallway to look back at her.

"And why don't you do that now?"

"Well it's the weirdest thing... I can't. Something is blocking me out of my library. Granted I can still manipulate space to an extent, time though is completely out of my hands as of right now." Kyou shrugged her shoulders and eyed Val. "Why do you want to know? Want to go back and relive your childhood?"

"I'd rather not be bullied by you a second time," Val quickly stated to which Kyou laughed. Val waited for Kyou to stop laughing before she continued. "I wanted to know if you could see about things that happened back when the El first landed."

"No can do, I'm afraid even with my time sight I couldn't go back then. It's not as easy as you think. First I'd need to actually know a human alive at the time, and then they'd need to be connected to me some way with like blood or flesh. That's why I usually can only see the past and future time around where I've personally been," Kyou said while moving her hands dramatically.

"... So if you could find something connected to the time, you could see it?" Val asked with a hint of a smile on her face. Kyou tilted her head in confusion as Val's smile turned into a grin. "Okay, Kyou. I know the perfect place to go. I just hope you don't mind heights and remnants of Ancient Nasod technology."

Kyou's face lit up at the talk of ancient stuff and she hopped up and down like a schoolgirl. She then suddenly stopped and patted her hands together.

"Oh yeah, that girl talked! Seems she mistook you for someone she's hunting! Something about midriffs and treasure and blah." Kyou waved her hands around as Val stared at her with a slight hint of disgust on her face.

"People these days are weird..."

* * *

><p>The sky remained covered with the clouds as the caravan traversed the winding road. Twisted trees lined the way as the caravan horses kept trotting along. Inside the caravan, Orerries and Schirra were fast asleep, both using their brown cloaks as makeshift blankets. At the reins, Zildren's eyes were bagged while he yawned airily. Beside him, Fenrir was staring off in the distance, focused on something.<p>

"What's up?" Zildren asked after noticing the Nasod's attention was diverted.

"... The temperature is dropping below the estimated low for Feita."

"Eh, so it's chilly," Zildren murmured and snapped on the reins again.

Fenrir sighed quietly at the sleep-depraved driver before refocusing out to the wilderness. Though Fenrir wasn't wrong to say the temperature had fallen. The grass on the other side of the hill Fenrir was staring at was frosted over. The grass was then crushed as a pale purple-haired boy fell onto it, blood flowing from his head and coating the frosted grass in red.

"Y-You... monster..." he spat out weakly, his eye glaring at the one who attacked him.

"Monster? I don't drink blood and last I looked in a mirror, I still have a reflection," the boy's attacker said with a smile.

"That... makes no... sense..." the boy whispered before he blacked out. The attacker fished out a roll of bandages and dropped it down next to his head.

"Use this if you don't die. Nothing personal, I just can't have someone stealing the treasure Lyrissa told me about before I nab it myself." The attacker smiled again and slapped her hand against her exposed midriff. Her shoulder-length brown hair fluttered lightly in the sudden breeze brought by the temperature going back to normal.


	6. Chapter 5,5 - Why Is This A Thing

**Author's Note: Happy new year. Here's to 2015.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5.5 – Why Is This A Thing<strong>

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><p><strong>Ruben Village, Year 617<strong>

"Come on! Just because there's snow doesn't mean you can relax!" Lowe shouted while tapping a wooden sword against his shoulder. In front of him, several kids were perfectly lined up in several rows, as they swung their own wooden blades in unison. Well, except for two in the center back of the group. Lowe was visibly angry as he noticed the gap in the back and stomped his way between the group to stand before two kids sitting in the snow. The two girls looked up at him as he glared down at them.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his tone gentler despite the angry twitch at the corner of his mouth. The girl on the right grinned innocently and waved her hand dismissively.

"We were having a girl talk, old guy. No boys allowed," she spoke playfully, a sly glint in her eyes as the other girl hid her face under the hood pulled over her head.

"You two brats don't get special treatment. You have to do the same exercises as everyone else," Lowe retorted to which the first girl laughed. Lowe's eye twitched in annoyance as he continued to glare down at the girls.

"Wow, just relax, old guy! You're gonna burst a blood vessel!" the first girl giggled, ignoring Lowe's increasingly sour mood.

"Kyou, Val. You two haven't done a single exercise in the past six months you've been here!" Lowe pointed the tip of his wooden sword at the two girls.

"We're magicians, sweating and stuff is bad for us!" Kyou explained as she grinned from ear to ear.

"... I don't want to do it..." Val whispered before she tugged on her hood to avoid eye contact. Lowe looked ready to lash out at them until he heard a joyful laugh. Lowe looked to his left to see Hagus approach them.

"It's fine, Lowe. It's the end of the year after all. Let them relax."

"Sir, they've been relaxing for the past-" Lowe started to say but was silenced by Hagus holding his hand up.

"We'll discuss this later. For now, let the kids rest," Hagus ordered and left without letting Lowe argue against it. Lowe let out a held breath and called for the kids to stop as he stormed away to fume in private. Most of the kids drifted away to go indoors, but a couple stayed behind to play in the snow. Kyou looked to Val and leaned in closer.

"So what did you want to show me?" she asked, but before Val could answer, someone approached the two.

"Hmph, why is the monster still here? Get lost, we want to play in peace," the boy snapped coldly as he looked down at Val. Val trembled a little and seemed to shrink away until Kyou cut in.

"Call her that again and I'll give you a thrashing, Yaeza," Kyou threatened with a smirk. The boy Yaeza flinched a little before he reached up and ruffled his gray hair. With a little click of his tongue, he turned around and walked away, another boy right behind him with light blue hair. Kyou laughed as she watched the boys go. "Man, those two are so gutless. And he's even from Hamel like you, what a jerk!"

Val said nothing with her head down so Kyou couldn't see her face. Kyou patted Val's hooded head and giggled.

"Don't let that jerk get you down! What's so bad about being a monster?" Kyou asked happily, and that made Val lift her head a little.

"Monsters stick together, right...?" she asked quietly and Kyou nodded her face.

"Yup! Us monsters gotta look out for each other! So what did you want to show me? C'mon show me!" Kyou said, almost bouncing up and down in excitement. Val glanced around at the kids playing and then back to Kyou. Without a word, Val stood and motioned for Kyou to follow her. The two slipped away from the others, heading down the snow-covered road to Ann's shop.

"Hey, Ann!" Kyou called out as they entered her shop. Ann looked up from behind the counter that she was fixing. She smiled warmly at the girls and dusted her hands off on her long skirt.

"Welcome back, you two! What did you want for dinner, Val?" Ann asked and Val mumbled something about fish. Ann smiled and nodded her head eagerly. "Leave it to me! Have fun, girls!"

"We will!" Kyou said before she dragged Val up the stairs to the second floor where Ann's and Val's rooms were. Kyou opened the door to Val's room and slipped in easily. Val's room was rather cramped with books everywhere, a single path weaved out between the piles to the bed and the desk. The room's single window was shut tight to keep the room from getting too cold. The two quickly took off their coats and boots by the door, Val kept her hoodie on, and headed to the bed.

"Man, you're so lucky to get your own room. I have to sleep in the dorms with a girl who snores!" Kyou remarked as she flopped onto the bed with a giddy laugh.

"It's only cuz Mommy knew Miss Ann..." Val murmured under her breath before she walked to her desk. Kyou sat up with her legs crossed as she watched Val open a drawer and take something out. Val held her hands out and Kyou looked to see what she had. It was a small rather rusty looking thing with a very tiny gem embedded on the front.

"Oh whoa! I haven't seen a Nasod in ages!" Kyou exclaimed in surprise, and quickly lowered her voice when Val put a finger to her own lips to shush her. Val put down the small thing and a small smile crept on her lips.

"I modeled it after one of the models in this book... He's my first friend..." Val began to explain before she turned her head and reached up to pull a book out of a rather tall tower of books. She showed Kyou the worn purple cover of the hefty book. Val rested the book on the bed next to the rusty Nasod and slowly opened it. The pages looked about ready to fall out as the two girls looked at the contents.

"Let's see... Ah, here it is! Oro! The author states that Oro are skilled at foraging and gathering parts, but the one I made is a lot smaller than shown here," Val stated, her eyes lit up as she went on and on about Nasods. Kyou stared at the book, occasionally nodding her head. As Val continued to talk, Kyou gently went through the pages until she came to a page at the front of the book. The page had a worn out picture of the author, a man who looked a tad younger than Lowe with a crazed grin on his face. Though the picture was incredibly old, Kyou could still make out a tiny detail in the author's left eye's pupil.

"Where'd you get this book, Val?" Kyou asked as she looked up from the book finally.

"Mommy gave it to me before bringing me here. Told me to take good care of it," Val told Kyou before she closed the book gently and put it back on the other books. Kyou chuckled and laid down on the bed.

"Well I'm sure the author would be happy to know his work lives on."

"Eh? You knew the author, Kyou?" Val inquired. Kyou gave a small shrug in response.

"Not personally, I just recognized him-"

"You're so old," Val interjected bluntly. Kyou twitched at the comment and laughed nervously. In an attempt to turn the topic off her age, Kyou pointed towards the small Oro still on the bed.

"So does it have a name?"

"Yeah... It's rather silly though..." Val said, her voice going quiet in embarrassment as she tugged her hood down to hide her face. Kyou grinned at the reaction and waited patiently for Val to reply. "Personal Relationship Inspection Tester-"

"TOO LONG!" Kyou commented exasperatingly and backhanded the air. Val frowned sadly and hung her head for a second.

"Then... Prit," Val murmured and Kyou thought about it for a moment before she stuck her thumb up in agreement.

"Nice to meet you, Val's friend Prit! Ah, but you probably don't understand what I'm saying!" Kyou said to the Oro with a laugh until the Oro beeped. Kyou stopped laughing as she stared at the Oro. "Did it just..."

"I dunno how, but Per- I mean, Prit can understand me whenever I talk to it," Val spoke and Prit beeped again. Kyou tilted her head slightly and stared down at the Oro.

"But... how do _you_ understand it?" Val seemed confused by the question as she pursed her small lips together.

"You can't?" Kyou and Val stared at each other before suddenly they both burst into laughter. Later, Ann called up for them as she placed several plates down on the table. Freshly cooked fish was presented to the girls, and they all ate together. Sadly, none of them were awake for the turn of the new year.

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><p><strong>City of Velder, Year 617<strong>

The city was bustling with activity as a small boy snaked his way between people. A large smile spread across his face as he slipped through the doorway of one building and pulled out the loaf of bread from under his coat. He politely closed the door behind him and rushed to take his coat and boots off. A warmth spread from further inside as the boy ran down the hall, holding the loaf over his head like a trophy.

"Mom! Mom! Look what Granny gave me!" he clamored with a bright glint in his happy eyes. The woman sitting on a couch by a roaring fireplace turned her head to look at the boy. She gave him a soft smile and waved him over. The boy bounded over to her and eagerly held out the loaf.

"Thank you, sweetie," she said with a pat on his head. On her lap, a small girl's head shifted and the little girl resting on the woman's lap looked up at the loaf.

"Yay, food..." the little girl murmured sleepily. The boy beamed proudly at his accomplishment as his mother took it into her hands.

"I'll be sure to use this for dinner tonight then." The little girl of the mother's lap sat up to let the mother get off the couch. As their mother left the room, the boy sat down on the couch and grinned.

"Good job, Zilly," the little girl said with a smile. Zildren seemed extremely happy at the praise and couldn't sit still as he immediately jumped back onto his feet.

"Wanna go play, Schirra?" he asked, but without waiting for an answer, he ran for the door and quickly slipped his coat and boots back on. Schirra giggled and slowly made her way to the door as well.

"Mom, we're going to go play!" Schirra called into the kitchen. Zildren was already out the door as Schirra started to put on her coat. Their mother watched them leave with a smile on her face. Outside, Zildren and Schirra ran down the road towards the park, the snow under their feet cushioned them whenever they fell on the way. Some other kids were playing already when the two reached the park.

"I'm gonna build a better fort than you!" Zildren declared to his sister before getting to work without pause. Schirra puffed up her cheeks and started on her own fort. Other kids began assisting them, which ended in a large scale snowball fight. When the sun began to descend, Zildren and Schirra left the park, covered in snow, but beaming with happiness.

When they got back home, their mother helped dust the snow off of them. Once they were out of their coats, they all curled up on the couch. Their mother giggled at her children, both of whom had immediately fallen asleep from all the energy they spent. She ruffled their hair gently, watching them smile in their sleep.

"Happy new year, my little angels."


End file.
